NCJ Number
74134
Date Published
1979
Length
60 pages
Annotation
Representatives from the police, schools, social services, and city planners's office addressed vandalism and prevention in a 1978 seminar sponsored by the West Midlands, England police.
Abstract
An introductory speech by the conference chairman described the costs of vandalism and attributed the problem to weakening of home life, lack of parental responsibility for children, boredom and unemployment among young people, permissive education, and media emphasis on sex and violence. The City Planning Officer for Birmingham discusssed how planning could combat vandalism in the private and public sectors by encouraging local residents to improve the appearance of their own comunities. The speech given by a city architect focused on the need for additional research before architectural solutions to vandalism could be devised. He noted that if instant repairs could be done, vandalism seemed to subside. The educator's viewpoint was expressed by the administrator of Birmingham's schools who described difficulties in maintaining school buildings properly, the impact of changing standards of behavior, and preventive measures to increase respect for school proptery. Comments form a social worker emphasized the lack of ethical principles at all levels as a cause of juvenile violence and vandalism. He also criticized advertising in the media and lack of opportunities for many children in a success-oriented society. Responses of the law to vandalism and crime were reviewed by a former jurist and academic who concluded that the problem must be accepted by the community as as whole and could not be solved by stricter law enforcement. In the conference's afternoon session, the 132 participants were divided into nine groups and asked if they felt vandalism was inevitable in modern society, if more could be done to deter vandals, and what preventive measures would be most cost effective. The summaries of these discussions are appended, as is a background document on vandalism prepared by the police department. A list of organizations and association invited to the seminar is provided.